I took my partner Barry to Niagara last weekend – we love the Twenty Valley which is a little less ‘touristy’ than Niagara-on-the-Lake. We stayed at a lovely B&B called The Orchard Croft http://www.orchardcroft.ca/. When I told the owner Ildiko, that it was Barry’s birthday and that I was going gluten and dairy free these days, she offered to bake a cake.

What Ildiko created was so yummy, I insisted that she pass on the recipe. And now I’m sharing it with you. I am adding my own version below. It uses avocado instead of so much coconut oil and it has half the sugar content. Ildiko’s version is lighter and sweeter. With mine, you get a hint of the bitterness of the cocoa which we like, plus the cost of the ingredients are less. Both are delicious, so you choose. The process is essentially the same but my version took 60 minutes to bake. Let me know what you think after you try either one.

Ildiko’s Quinoa Coconut Chocolate Cake

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup almond or another nut-milk

5 large eggs

1 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup organic cocoa powder

1 3/4 – 2 cups agave nectar or raw maple sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of sea salt

Tzabia’s version

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 water

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

5 large eggs

3 tb coconut oil, melted

1 good-sized avocado

1 cup organic cocoa powder

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup agave

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt

While the water is coming to a boil, rinse and strain the quinoa three times to remove the dust and surface starch. Add the quinoa to the boiling water and turn down to simmer for 10 minutes. Let it sit covered for a few more minutes and then set it aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cake form (8″ or 9″) and line it with parchment paper.

In a blender or food processor, mix the wet ingredients: the eggs, vanilla, avocado and/or melted coconut oil, milk, agave. Blend until smooth. Then add the cooled quinoa. Blend/process until it’s well mixed.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix it well. Add it to the blender/food processor.

Pour it into the baking form and bake it for 45 – 60 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick tested in the middle comes out dry. After a few minutes, remove the side of the pan, put a large plate on top of the cake, flip it over, and then using a wire rack, do the same to flip it upright again to cool on the wire rack.

While it’s cooling, make your chocolate ganache for the icing.

Ildiko’s Ganache

6 oz organic unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup of your preferred sweetener – raw or maple sugar, agave

1/3 cup almond milk

3 tb coconut oil

Melt the chocolate and the coconut oil in a double boiler. Remove from the heat. Add the other ingredients and mix until well-blended. Let it cool for a few minutes. Pour it over the cake and let it run down the sides.

Tzabia’s Ganache (adapted from a recipe by nutritionist Kerry Ford)

4 tb coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

3 tb agave nectar

6 tb cocoa powder

Pour all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour over the cooled cake, letting it drip down the sides.